Most would immediately comment that I'm voting for Jeremy as NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver - "Because you work for him." Well, yah, that's true. But even if I didn't work for JCR, I'd be voting everyday for Jeremy.
My relationship with Jeremy, JCR and of course "Aunt Phyll" started back in 2010. My youngest son Ricky runs an international awareness campaign called Racing for a Cause. He wanted to host a fundraiser in 2011 at an indoor karting facility and invite local racers and NASCAR drivers to come to race with the community. We were lucky to get some great local racers and ARCA drivers to come. But the only NASCAR driver who offered to attend, volunteering his time, was a NNS rookie - Jeremy Clements.
That event was the start of a really cool relationship between Jeremy and my son. I believe you can judge a lot about a person from the way he interacts with kids. If you were to ask my son to tell you about his hero, you would see his eyes light right up and his chest puff out with pride as he tells you all about Jeremy - including the year that Jeremy spent a few hours racing with him online for his birthday (and how he "beat" Jeremy racing online at Bristol.) Jeremy has continued to support Ricky and his program, becoming the National Spokesperson for Racing for a Cause.
Over the years I have had the opportunity to see Jeremy interact with his fans, and do all kinds of stuff for others that doesn't get shared publically. I have seen him on his way to pit road for Driver Intros stop and kneel down to talk to a young boy who wants his autograph and ask him some questions; notice a bunch of kids looking through the fence at AMS and walk over to sign autographs and let them hold his helmet; share the story of his racing injury with a child hospitalized after a bicycle accident and give him hope; offer to a complete stranger to honor his nephew who passed away by putting the child's name on his racecar; happily volunteer to go and visit kids at Children's Hospitals; offer race tickets to fans who had never attended a race; and so much more that it would take me hours to post. Everything he does for others isn't for any other reason than to make someone's day a little bit better and a little bit brighter. And that speaks volumes about the person he is.
I am honored to be part of JCR and volunteer my time, alongside Aunt Phyll, to support Jeremy. I give because he gives. To me, and my son, he is absolutely #TheFansMan and totally deserving of the title of NNS Most Popular Driver!
You can share your stories with JCR and fans on Facebook.
TO VOTE FOR JEREMY AS NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES MOST POPULAR DRIVER,
go to nascar.com/mostpopulardriver
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